Do you have a really odd mix of symptoms? Wondering whether you might have histamine intolerance or a mast cell disorder? While it’s certainly true that histamine issues manifest differently from person to person, there are certain signs of histamine issues that show up time and time again. Here are 10 signs to watch for.
#1 SKIN PROBLEMS
Skin issues are probably one of the most common ways people discover they have histamine issues. Hives after eating too many strawberries or other high histamine foods are a quick indicator that histamine levels are high. Flushing is another common symptom — say, after a glass of wine. A histamine response can be either acute or chronic. Dealing with chronic itching, skin lesions or sores (mastocytosis), overreaction to insect bites, and slow healing can be some chronic skin-related histamine symptoms.
#2 INFLAMMATION
Any type of inflammation can potentially have a histamine connection. This can show up in the form of redness and swelling (with or without pain) and may show up as an enlarged liver or spleen, or liver/spleen/bladder/kidney pain that just doesn’t seem to go away. The 5 classical signs of inflammation are pain, heat, redness, swelling, and loss of function. When these occur together, you can be pretty sure you’re dealing with inflammation.
#3 CARDIOVASCULAR SYMPTOMS
Histamine intolerance can also cause weird and random cardiovascular symptoms. You could have tachycardia (racing heart), arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat), palpitations, sudden drops in blood pressure, and even chest pain. You may also find you have unexplained bruises on your body and bleed easily. Learn more about how histamine affects your heart here.
#4 DIFFICULTY REGULATING BODY TEMP
Histamine can also make it difficult for your body to self-regulate and stay in a state of homeostasis. This can lead to episodes of low body temperature, overheating with severe sweating, and an overall sensitivity to heat and cold. Read more about how histamine affects body temperature on this post.
#5 CHRONIC PAIN & MIGRAINES
Thanks to the chronic inflammation that goes with histamine intolerance, you may also deal with chronic pain. This could come in the form of bone or joint pain, general all-over body pain, specific tissue pain, headaches, and migraines. Here are some histamine migraine fixes and here’s a recipe for a painkiller in a glass.
#6 FOOD & ENVIRONMENTAL SENSITIVITIES
Do you deal with gluten intolerance? Are you sensitive to scented candles, perfume, gasoline? Those of us with histamine intolerance don’t do well with a lot of foods or scents/odors. It’s as though anything that stimulates our senses puts us over the top. You can have sensitivities that impact any or all of the five senses: sensitivity to sunlight (eyes), scents (nose), sounds (ears), foods or medications (mouth), and even overreaction to touch. You might swell up like crazy in reaction to an insect bite/sting, and even go into anaphylaxis. You may have an intolerance to medications and even have weird, unexplained reactions to pharmaceutical drugs. You can find a selection of histamine lists here.
#7 DIGESTIVE PROBLEMS
This is a big one. The ways histamine can affect your digestive system are seemingly endless: gastrointestinal pain, bloating, persistent diarrhea, chronic constipation, GERD/acid reflux, nausea, vomiting, mouth sores/canker sores, IBS, leaky gut, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, malabsorption contributing to vitamin and mineral deficiencies (for example, iron deficiency or B12 deficiency — anemia), and more. Here are 4 Top Gut Histamine Digestion Tips.
#8 FATIGUE
Complete exhaustion. Persistent fatigue, unexplained weakness, shortness of breath, fainting… All these can accompany histamine intolerance and can make it difficult to exercise or even just walk up one flight of stairs. Brain fatigue can also go along with histamine issues causing a general feeling of cognitive impairment/brain fog.
#9 NERVE ISSUES
Some of the weirdest symptoms of histamine intolerance have a nerve connection. You could have numbness or tingling in your face, hands, or feet. Your skin may feel like it’s literally on fire. You could have neuropathic pain without being a diabetic. You might have unexplained anxiety… or all these other symptoms could cause you anxiety!
#10 HORMONE ISSUES & IMBALANCES
Histamine can really mess with your hormones. Thyroid issues are common. Read this post to find out about the oxalic acid connection. Estrogen dominance plays a huge role in histamine issues. Women may have difficult periods with lots of pain and bleeding. Menopause may even bring on histamine intolerance.
AND MORE….
You could have immune system problems, enlarged lymph nodes, recurrent infections, vertigo, tinnitus or hearing problems, eye problems, hair loss… The list behind this post comes from Mastocytosis Canada’s website. You can also check out www.mastcellmaster.com for more information.
SICK OF THESE SYMPTOMS AND READY TO HEAL?
Then check out my Histamine Reset program. There’s seriously no need to keep suffering. I’ve put together a 4-week course that helps you track symptoms and then address them with valuable tips and strategies for overcoming histamine intolerance. I make it super user-friendly by including weekly recipes, wellness & supplement recommendations, and stress-relief exercises. It’s easy to get started and help your body get back on track for healing.
